


Building Trust

by f_romanoff_13



Series: Once Upon A December [4]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Childhood, Gen, Memories, Origin Story, Origins, Past, Red Room, Training, Trust, Trust Issues, Young Natasha, mentions of child abuse, mentions of torture
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-01-01
Updated: 2014-01-01
Packaged: 2018-01-07 00:57:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1113587
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/f_romanoff_13/pseuds/f_romanoff_13
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Trust was something stamped out of Natasha when she was a child</p>
            </blockquote>





	Building Trust

**Author's Note:**

> My fic are unbetaed so I apologise for any mistakes  
> The Avengers and related characters belong to Marvel
> 
> Any comments are much appreciated!
> 
> Part of my **'Once Upon A December'** series
> 
>  _Oh, and Happy New Year all!_ :)

Natasha finds it hard to trust people, even now.  
That was one lesson the Red Room made sure she learnt...

When she was eight years old, Ivan Petrovitch decided Natalia’s ‘class’ was becoming too close; they were friends who helped each other, trusted each other. That had to be stopped. 

An elder girl named Viktoriya was sent to train with them; she was highly skilled and the girls were suspicious as to why she was training with them. She was almost 13 and in a class way ahead of theirs.   
‘An injury’ they were told, and even though no one believed that excuse, another lesson they had been taught was 'don’t **ever** question your superiors. 

A week later when Elena fell during a drill exercise and Irina helped her up, somehow their superiors found out and they were both punished.

When Ivan learnt of the close friendship between Ana and Zoya they were forced to fight, and Ana didn’t make it past that point.

Natalia was weary, it was obvious who was telling Ivan these things, but there was little they could do.   
Viktoriya informed Ivan of everything; their greatest fears and biggest weaknesses. Natalia’s class went from 13 down to 7 during the time Viktoriya was with them.

Natalia was one of the last to be betrayed by Viktoriya. 

The Red Room had more than a few ‘inventive’ ways to punish those they deemed had wronged them; starvation, isolation, confinement, electroshock therapy, water torture, beatings... Natalia would take them if she needed; she was used to them, but the one she feared was water.   
Being forced under the surface of icy cold water, and held down until her lungs burnt and her head pounded. The lack of oxygen caused her to pass out before they would pull her from the water, resuscitate her and start again. More than a few girls had died when the resuscitation attempts were unsuccessful.   
Natalia would do pretty much anything to avoid this.  
But after her stint with Natalia’s class Viktoriya had noticed this; and from then on each time Natalia was to be punished, she underwent water torture.   
Natalia learnt to trust no one; they would use you, learn your secrets and sell them, trade your greatest fears for their own good. They'd do whatever it took to get ahead, and in order to survive Natalia no longer trusted.   
The 7 girls in Natalia’s class were no longer friends; they couldn’t have friends in the Red Room.

 

But then Natalia became Natasha, and an archer gave her his friendship.   
She had to trust.   
And gradually, eventually; there were a few other people she learnt to trust too.


End file.
